No Time for Emotion (Raise a Glass)
by desertredwolf
Summary: Katie Bell knows, perhaps more than most, that living in the moment is sometimes all one has because tomorrow is not guaranteed. Life is made up of moments, and these are some of Katie's most important ones. Written for QLFC; Season 5, Round 10. Chaser 3 for Puddlemere United. Oneshot.


**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. All rights go to respective owners.**

* * *

 **Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition / Season Five, Round 10**

 **Team:** Puddlemere United

 **Position:** Chaser 3

 **Prompt:** Track Now Playing: "You Light Up My Life" by Debby Boone ( **A/N: Song lyrics used as paraphrased dialogue/dialogue inspiration, as well as inspiration for a couple of settings.** )

 **Bonus Prompts:**

3\. (object) ring

10\. (word) luminous

14\. (word) remote

 **Word Count (not including story title and author's notes):** 2423 (Google Docs)

* * *

 **No Time for Emotion (Raise a Glass)**

Katie Bell coughed into her sleeve as ash and shrapnel from nearby buildings billowed into the air. Before she could process the latest development, another explosion — somewhere not-so-far behind her in the Alley — shattered the evening. Momentary stillness descended upon the now desecrated Diagon Alley, before screams and curses rushed in and filled the void. Twirling her wand, she silently banished the lingering cloud of soot hanging heavily in the air.

Despite being able to breathe slightly easier, she could still feel where the ash clung to her clothes and skin. She tried, and failed, to not think about what else was mixed into the dust.

Crouching, she pressed her back against a ruined wall in an attempt to make herself small. Looking heavenward, she felt numb. The sickly green half-dome of anti-Apparition and Portkey wards continued to blanket the area. It looked like she wasn't going to be leaving any time soon.

"Focus, Katie," she whispered to herself, before taking in a deep breath. "Just breathe."

.oOo.

" _You know that dancing works better when your eyes are open, right?" Oliver teased._

 _Katie squeaked, and her eyes snapped open. She was standing next to Oliver in the middle of the classroom, surrounded by her fellow Gryffindors. McGonagall was trying to convince Eloise to dance with Neville; the poor girl was blushing furiously. Katie could sympathize._

" _Sorry," she muttered, as she felt her cheeks heat up in embarrassment. Of all the bloody people to be paired with, Katie just had to be partnered with the guy she secretly harbored a crush on._

 _A Yule Ball and a stupid Tournament was not worth this humiliation._

 _She was so distracted that she didn't realize McGonagall had finally finished pairing up the remaining students. The professor walked over to the gramophone and began to play a slow waltz. Oliver pulled her close, and Katie held her breath in response._

" _Katie," Oliver said with an easy grin, "just breathe."_

.oOo.

Despite the unfolding disaster and chaos, Katie somehow managed to hear the low groans of a nearby injured person. Quickly pinpointing the sound, she spotted a wizard — a shopkeeper, judging by his clothes — lying on the ground not too far from her.

He wasn't getting up.

She could hear Death Eaters quickly approaching. Spell fire and incantations were becoming louder and clearer by the second. Anxiously twisting the diamond ring on her finger, she came to a quick conclusion.

No one was getting left behind.

Keeping a low profile, she bolted across the open ground and knelt next to the man. Upon closer inspection, she could tell that his injuries were beyond her skill to heal. He needed real help.

"Come on, we've got to go," she said firmly. No preamble, no introductions.

They were already running on borrowed time.

.oOo.

" _You know, Katie," Oliver said, slurring his words slightly, "you light up my life."_

 _Fred and George coughed into their drinks, as Angelina snickered. Lee just laughed outright. Meanwhile, it seemed that all Katie was able to do was blush — practically an automatic response around Oliver these days. She desperately wished that she had a smooth response._

' _You too,' just didn't seem to cut it._

 _It had been almost a year since their fateful dancing lesson. Ever since, Katie was sure she was alone in her feelings. She had spent many sleepless nights sitting by a window in her dorm, wondering and imagining all of the "what if's." There had been times when she could have sworn that he had been staring at her, almost affectionately, from across the Common Room. But nothing had ever been said, so she convinced herself that she had been imagining it._

 _Or at least, she had tried to. Dreams and hope didn't die easily._

 _Then he had graduated, which left her wondering if her chances of becoming a world-class artist — when she couldn't even draw a circle — were less remote than him returning her affections._

" _If I knew I just had to get you drunk to hear those words, I would have done it ages ago!"_

 _The words spilled out of her mouth. Their friends erupted in even louder laughter, as Katie and Oliver simply stared in shock at each other._

 _Slowly, Oliver grinned._

.oOo.

The wounded shopkeeper nodded in response, but Katie wasn't sure how lucid he was. She hoisted him up and started staggering down the Alley. The wizard, who couldn't have been that much older than her, groaned, but didn't otherwise protest. But his complexion was unnaturally pale and becoming more so by the second; his breathing was labored. Her heart constricted with guilt.

 _Stupid, stupid, stupid!_

Lee had offered… _Why_ hadn't she taken the time to learn more advanced healing magic? She could be doing so much more! She was bloody _useless_.

Grim thoughts of self-hatred and fear swirled in her mind: a million panicked " _what if's_ " endlessly causing doubt. Hot tears blurred her vision. Her lungs burned, and she struggled to breathe. One thought, however, became more and more prominent with every step she took.

 _Where in Morgana's name is Oliver?_

.oOo.

" _I wanted this to be different."_

 _Oliver, her wonderful boyfriend of over a year, was kneeling before her on the Quidditch Pitch. They had left Dumbledore's funeral as soon as it had been appropriate and silently walked the familiar path down to the Pitch. Katie thought Oliver might have been trying to draw comfort from familiar surroundings. It seemed to sooth him, which gave her some amount of relief._

 _Then he reached into his pocket, withdrew a velvet box, and knelt in front of her._

" _I'm not asking because we're running on borrowed time," Oliver said clearly. "Yes, there is a war. But I love you, Katie. You give me the hope to carry on each day. You truly light up my life. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?"_

.oOo.

They always had managed to stay together — Oliver, Angelina, Alicia, and herself, that is. Even with their world descending into hell, they had stayed together. The former Chasers had even kept their old DA galleons, waiting for the call to battle. And when Neville had called, they had answered without hesitation. Their journey to Hogwarts had seen them making a brief stop, however, in Diagon to rendezvous with Lee and the Twins, which is when things had become dicey.

Exactly how they had been split up, she wouldn't ever know. It was one of those instances in war — or even just in life — that _happened_ and there was no explanation.

One moment, everything was normal. Lee, the grounding force in their group, had pulled her into a tight bear hug. Angelina had kissed Fred. George and Oliver had hugged like brothers finally reuniting.

Then the next moment happened.

Death Eaters and Dark creatures had Apparated into the main stretch of the Alley. Wards had gone up. Multiple buildings had exploded. She must have then blacked out because the next coherent thing she remembered was lying sprawled on the ground, completely covered in grey ash and rubble…

 _ **BOOM!**_

The sound of wood being torn apart and glass shattering ricocheted from somewhere in the Alley. Instinctively ducking, the wizard leaning heavily on her shoulder, she tried to collect her wits.

 _Damn it, Katie! Focus! One foot in front of the other... Damn it!_

Katie cried out in frustration as she stumbled, causing the wizard to groan painfully. She felt the man faintly tug on her sleeve, but didn't stop to look at him. She wasn't sure she could. It hurt too much and her _damn feet_ wouldn't move!

"I'm sorry," she said breathlessly, her panicked heartbeat drowning out all other sounds. "I'm going to get you help. Promise."

Adjusting her grip, she began to once again half-drag, half-carry the wizard down the Alley toward … safety? Her friends? Suddenly, she didn't even know where she was going.

"Oliver!" she screamed, her voice hoarse. " _Oliver!_ "

.oOo.

 _He held her, as they listened to their friends over the Wizarding Wireless announce the deaths of a group of underage Muggleborns attempting to flee the country. She sobbed into Oliver's shoulder, as they listened to the heartbroken silence over the radio._

" _We have to move," Angelina said softly, when Fred cleared his throat and signed off. "They'll be on our tail soon." Alicia nodded silently._

" _They were 12, damn it."_

 _Katie's heartrending proclamation was met with silence. Despite the quiet, there wasn't a dry eye in the room._

" _When all of this is over, we'll raise a pint for them."_

 _The three woman looked at Oliver. His eyes were red, but they were determined. Katie recognized it as the same look he got during a rallying speech before an important game._

" _When this is all over," he repeated, his voice growing more steady, "we'll raise a pint for them — for all of those that have been and will be lost. But it's not over yet and we're still alive. So we have to keep moving."_

.oOo.

" _Oliver!_ "

It wasn't smart. She _knew_ that she shouldn't be making a lot of noise. It was bound to attract unwanted attention. Suddenly, she felt the wizard's weight drastically shift, causing her to stumble again.

"Please! Come on! We've got to go—" Katie's voice trailed off as she turned to look at the wizard. He was staring straight ahead with unseeing eyes, and his chest was still.

He had died in her arms.

Choking back a horrified sob, Katie let him go and watched him fall to the ground. Time froze, and her world shuddered to a halt — until it suddenly kicked into gear.

"I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry," she whispered, before taking off down the Alley.

 _Get out … I have to … I have to get out!_

Minutes blurred together as Katie ran toward the barrier of the wards. She cut around tight corners and dodged piles of rubble, now with a destination firmly in mind. In reality, it was the only place left that she _could_ go — and if she had been able to think logically, it was the only place Oliver could go, too.

Flying through one of the back alleys, she darted out into the main section of the Alley…

And saw them.

About 50 meters away — halfway between her and the barrier of the wards —were Oliver, Angelina, Alicia, the Twins, and Lee. They were all _alive_! She noticed that the men were each carrying a child in their arms; Angelina and Alicia were assisting wounded witches and wizards. But they couldn't see her. They were moving _away_ from her and _towards_ the wards.

Oliver's name began to form on her lips, when the whole world seemed to be ripped apart by another explosion.

Except this one was different than the previous ones had been. It shook Katie to the core — shrieking inside her head — and brought her to her knees. Looking up, she saw the first sickly green shield fragment fall to the ground.

Could moments be measured in the space between heartbeats?

 _One._

Shouts rang out throughout the Alley. Cracks of Apparition sounded and for one brief moment, they were all free.

 _Two._

Something was not right. Her friends didn't Apparate away. Instead, they began to run out of the Alley.

 _Three._

Katie suddenly realized they couldn't Apparate without risking splinching the children, or leaving behind the wounded.

 _Four._

She began to run.

 _Five._

Her spine tingled as magic washed over her.

 _Six._

Fresh wards went up.

 _Seven._

The sickly green shield began to fall.

 _Eight._

They weren't going to make it.

 _Nine._

Katie sucked in a breath.

 _They_ could make it…

She was the one who wouldn't.

 _Ten._

.oOo.

 _Katie gazed lovingly at the man kneeling before her. It wasn't the proposal she had expected, but it didn't matter in the end. What mattered was that it was him. She could never imagine it being anyone else._

" _What time I have left," she said, fresh tears in her eyes, "whether it is one day or 100 years, is yours. I love you. Always and forever._ "

.oOo.

It turned out that moments could be measured in such a way. There was no regret in her heart, as she raised her wand in defense of her friends.

" _Ventus!_ "

In one sweeping motion, and with as much power as she could, she sent the spiraling wind at her friends' backs. They — along with the children and wounded — were violently pushed forward, just as the shield snapped into place behind them. She watched as Oliver jumped to his feet, wand raised, and looked for the enemy. But instead, his eyes found hers.

It took a second for it to register, but Katie saw the moment he realized she was trapped. Fred and George, ever so quick to follow Oliver, were the ones to hold him back as he screamed her name. The barrier blocked all sound from the other side, but she knew him. She could read him better than anyone.

She tried not to cry, as her friends fought to get to her.

.oOo.

" _Inside every girl is a graceful swan!"_

 _Some of the students snorted at McGonagall's choice of words, as they were ushered out of their dance lesson._

" _Words of wisdom, eh?" Lee joked. Alicia and Angelina glared at him._

" _I think it fits," Oliver said nonchalantly, looking straight ahead. But Katie was sure he made a quick glance in her direction. She felt her heart flutter happily._

" _Yeah?" she questioned._

" _Well maybe not for every girl. I can't see Parkinson being described as a swan," he said thoughtfully. "Swans are smart, protective, brave, and beautiful … that's only the best of girls."_

" _Ooohh," the Weasley Twins said in unison. "Oliver's in love! Who's the lucky girl, Oliver?"_

.oOo.

She heard the shouts of the Death Eaters and Dark creatures, as they approached behind her. After one last look at Oliver, Katie turned to face them.

There were no taunts — at least, not from her. And she sure as hell didn't throw Stunners. Accurate and lethal, she took down a handful of the enemy before they could catch on to her tactics. But that only lasted seconds.

She never saw who cast the Killing Curse.

She just saw a flare of green, a roaring sound filled her ears, and then…

…she saw a luminous white light.

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 **A/N 2: Special thanks to Kat (roseusvortex) and Tart (TartCat207) for betaing this!**


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